In this blog post, we’ll examine the disconnect between the meaning of the “Fans First” slogan—which the SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO League) promoted at the time—and how it was actually implemented, focusing on the dismissal of Manager Kim Seong-geun and the closure of the “Yongteulim Madang” fan forum.
The Beginning of the Incident and the Cracks in “Fans First”
As recently as early August 2011, the SK Wyverns—the defending champions of the Korean Professional Baseball (KBO League)—were competing for the top spot with results befitting their title. Despite several setbacks—including a seven-game losing streak midway through the season, the enlistment of key players into the military, and the dismissal of new foreign pitcher Magrane due to poor performance—the team remained steadfast, taking one step at a time toward the top.
However, as of August 18, the SK Wyverns were completely pushed out of the race for the Korean Professional Baseball regular-season title. The decisive turning point was the club’s announcement of the dismissal of Manager Kim Seong-geun. This incident was the biggest controversy among the various events surrounding the SK Wyverns in 2011. At the time, the dismissal was criticized as a retaliatory measure in response to remarks Manager Kim had made the previous day, and the team subsequently fell into disarray, plummeting to fourth place at one point, which cast doubt on their chances of even making the postseason.
The significance of this incident for the SK Wyverns went far beyond a simple managerial change. At the time, the SK Wyverns had been promoting “sportainment”—such as selecting female celebrities as “Wyverns Girls” and transforming their home stadium, Incheon Munhak Baseball Stadium in South Korea, into a Major League Baseball (MLB)-style venue—to build an image of a club that valued not only performance but also its fans. However, the front office’s response following the dismissal announcement shattered that image in an instant. The organization, which had appeared to be a close-knit community comprising players, fans, and management, exposed long-hidden internal conflicts, and problems with the team’s management came to the surface. What exactly were the issues plaguing the SK Wyverns at the time?
The Closure of “Yongteulim Madang” and the Disconnection from Fans
In this incident, the conflict between the fans and the front office was a more fundamental issue than the disputes involving Manager Kim Seong-geun or the players. Based solely on the front office’s announcement, it is difficult to definitively determine who was right or wrong. However, one thing is clear: the structure of the organization meant that such a conflict was bound to erupt sooner or later. This is because, while the club outwardly promoted “Fans First” and “Sports Entertainment,” internally, it was operated in a completely different manner.
Signs of the conflict had already emerged before the manager’s dismissal. A prime example was the closure of “Yongteulim Madang,” the official fan forum on the team’s website. About a month before Manager Kim Seong-geun stepped down, the SK Wyverns shut down Yongteulim Madang—where fans had freely exchanged opinions—and shifted to a social media communication strategy centered on Twitter. The club was surely well aware that one-to-many social media platforms could not adequately replace in-depth communication with fans. So why did they close the existing forum?
While the team cited the forum’s “predominantly negative functions” as the reason, the closure actually occurred at a time when criticism of the team’s management was on the rise. Furthermore, the team rejected a petition signed by 4,058 people demanding the forum’s restoration. Ultimately, this shift to social media-centered communication was perceived as a sign that the team intended to communicate solely on its own terms, rather than actively exchanging views with fans.
The closure of “Yongteulim Madang” not only severed communication with fans but also caused division among the fanbase. While the official supporters’ group, “Biryong Cheonha,” advocated for a gradual resolution through consultation with the club, communities such as the SK Wyverns gallery on DC Inside and the SK Wyverns fan cafe on Naver took a much harder line, demanding the resignation of the front office.
Fans of the SK Wyverns in the Korean Professional Baseball League found themselves at odds over differing approaches to the situation.
Some might argue that the front office is not to blame for this situation. However, the division among fans was also the result of the gradual erosion of the “Fans First” value. At some point, the team adopted a management style that focused solely on attracting new fans rather than respecting existing ones, neglecting relationships with the fanbase; these accumulated issues ultimately led to the conflict.
Problems Revealed After the Manager’s Dismissal
When Manager Kim Seong-geun made remarks indicating his intention to step down at the end of the 2011 season, it served as the spark that plunged the professional baseball scene in Incheon, South Korea, into chaos. As tensions with the front office had been building for a long time, fans vented their pent-up anger, resulting in a crowd invasion at Incheon Munhak Baseball Stadium on August 18. After the game ended, some fans stormed the field, set fire to the mound, and took baseball equipment—an incident that went down as the largest crowd disturbance in the history of the SK Wyverns since their inception. Although such extreme actions subsided somewhat as the team’s performance improved, protests—such as displaying banners and distributing flyers—continued for some time.
The actions taken by some fans in response to the manager’s dismissal were clearly wrong. Storming the field, setting fires, and removing equipment cannot be justified under any circumstances. Deliberately cheering for the opposing team or remaining silent during the home team’s at-bats is also difficult to view as a desirable cheering culture.
However, there are facts that were overlooked in the process of criticizing these actions. The conflict between Manager Kim Seong-geun and the SK Wyverns front office had existed for a long time, and at the root of that conflict lay the front office’s management style, which had been criticized for attempting to exert excessive control over the field. Ultimately, the fans’ radical actions were also a result of this underlying conflict, and it can be seen that they led to a backlash far greater than the front office had anticipated.
The dismissal of the manager, carried out under the pretext of restoring team morale, actually worsened the atmosphere within the squad. After August 18, the SK Wyverns’ winning percentage dropped significantly for a while, and the team—which had been in the running for first place until the very end—was ultimately pushed out of the top ranks. Furthermore, the front office failed to actively respond to fans’ demands for an explanation regarding the announcement, instead consistently resorting to emotional reactions.
What Is True “Fans First”?
The management style—which lost sight of its original principles and prioritized the front office over the fans—ultimately severely damaged the image of the SK Wyverns, the defending champions. The fact that fans’ calls for the front office to step down did not subside easily even after the team’s performance recovered over time demonstrates just how deep the distrust in the club’s management had become. This was not a problem that could be solved by partial measures alone, such as restoring the “Dragon’s Den” forum.
From the fans’ perspective, there was a need to convey their opinions in a more organized and sustained manner. The 4,058 people who participated in the petition at the time were by no means a large number, considering the total fan base. To demand substantive change from the front office, a method involving the participation of even more fans would have been necessary.
Above all, what the club needed was not a polished public image, but trust with its fans. After all, it was the fans who shared every moment at the stadium who had sustained the “Boryong” team. To resolve the situation, the front office had to reach out to the fans first. They needed to acknowledge mistakes in their management, correct areas in need of improvement, and adopt an attitude of listening to the fans’ voices. Had they done so, even the fans who had turned their backs on the club might have been able to cheer for it again.
The year 2007 remains etched in the memories of many SK Wyverns fans as the year the “Fans First” philosophy was first emphasized, the year the team won the Korean Professional Baseball regular season championship alongside its fans, and the year it secured its first championship in the Korean Series—the league’s championship series—by winning four straight games after falling behind 2–0. If we remember the excitement of that time, we need to use this incident as a lesson and reexamine what it truly means to run a club in partnership with its fans.
Whether “true sportainment” and “Fans First” will stand as success stories or remain mere slogans ultimately depended on the club’s choice.
